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Sharptailed Grouse Hunting Opener and Other News

September 16, 2013

Charity Upchurch Hunting Tales, Kennel Update, Upland Hunting Trips , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Reservations and Breeding Plans

At this point, I have taken 10 reservations with deposits for my Spring 2014 litters and continue to get interest daily.  Even though I am planning three litters (from Mae, BB and Velma), I won’t even start breeding for another three months or so (which puts whelping 5+ months away and homegoing 7+ months away).  I just want everyone to know that I am a bit hesitant about taking additional reservations right now.  If everything goes as planned, I could have 12-20 puppies in 2014, but I just don’t know right now.  Feel free to call (402) 682-9802 or e-mail bluestemkennels@cox.net if you have any questions.

Sharptailed Grouse and Dove Opening Day: September 1, 2013

Charles had a great opening day of grouse in the Nebraska Sandhills on Sunday, September 1st.  We set out into the northern dunefield of our usual opening day spot.  Our “usual opening day spot” consists of two east-west running dunefields with about a mile wide valley in the middle.  I let Charles, Sam and BB head deep into the dunes, while I waited behind at the truck with Mae.  Once they were out of sight, I set off eastward into the rising sun.  I was probably 100-300 yards south of Charles and clearly heard one shot about 15 minutes into our walk.  I had a single bird get up to my left about 5 minutes later, but I missed the shot, which was the only one I had on a grouse all weekend.  Not long after I heard another single shot.  Charles and I met up at the eastern fenceline of the section about 45 minutes after we had started and talked about what we had seen.  He had seen a few large flocks of grouse and had 2 in the bag, so we headed up into the northeastern corner of the section to make sure that we had covered everything, then turned back around to go west towards the truck.  Once again, Charles was to the north of me in the higher dunes and I was working the southern edge.  Sure enough, not 5 minutes after we parted ways, I heard another single shot.  I went over to him and he had his limit of 3.

Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Hunt Sharptailed Grouse

Sam, Charles and BB with their limit of sharptailed grouse on opening day 2013

We worked for another hour walking westward where he had seen the larger groups, but we didn’t see a single grouse.  We then set up our decoys at a windmill and sat for doves for an hour and a half or so, each taking one, but it was too hot to sit the whole day, so we headed back to town to spend time with the family.

Sandhills Dove Hunting 2013

Charles and Charity with the obligatory one dove each to start the season

The following day we set out into another spot that has been an annual producer for us.  I walked for 3 hours and Charles walked for 4 and neither one of us saw a single sharptail, which is very odd.  Some folks say it was last year’s drought not leaving enough cover for nesting, others say they were killed in the massive summer hailstorm that hit the area, but all I know is that they have been in this spot for 15 years and they weren’t there on Labor Day.  We called it a hunt midday on Monday and headed out to the lake with friends and family.

Charles has spent the last two weekends working with BB on the duck search and retrieve for her second shot at the NAVHDA Utility Test in October.  This coming weekend we will be heading down to Missouri to try our hand at the last weekend of their early teal duck season.  Sam is usually our main duck dog, so he will have to hang back back at the truck while BB finally gets her chance to be the waterfowl star.

Pupdates

Got a message and photos from Bob in Minnesota about his pup Ed, from Sue and Sam’s 2013 “E” litter.  Sounds like he is doing great and has some fun adventures in store for this season:

Ed is a big boy and tipping the scales just shy of 60 pounds on his 6 month bday.  He is loving our weekend camping trips to the lake and is a hard charger in his water work.  In fact he gets close to the lake and will rip the leash out of your hands to go in while carrying his bumper.  Last weekend he pointed 2 grouse sitting in the woods near the lake on one of our walks.  Ed is looking real nice on his points but still is breaking so I have some more work to do.  He is retrieving to hand and I am hoping that continues when hunting season begins here in MN.  I have taken a break the past week on training as we have been having triple digit temps up here and it is just too hot.  Ed will be heading out in mid September for official gun introduction and bird and gun association.  Out pheasant season starts on October 12 here in MN and then we are headed out to North Dakota on November 6 for our first North Dakota adventure of the fall.  Thinking trip number 2 will be in December but that will depend on the weather and how he does this fall on our other outings.

Ed6mos

Ed at 6 months chillin’ on the deck

Ed hanging out in the house

Ed hanging out in the house

Ed and his toy pheasant

Ed and his toy pheasant

16 month old Chester from Sam and Mae’s “C” Litter of 2012 lives out in New York and has been practicing hard for the upcoming season with his owner Sal and trainer Hoss.  He’s pictured here at a Hudson Valley NAVHDA Chapter training day.

Chester on point

Chester on point

Another shot of Chester on point

Another shot of Chester on point

Chester retrieving

Chester retrieving

And handsome three year old Whiskey out in Nevada from Sue and Sam’s “A” litter of 2010 has been caught by owner Deborah being very silly these days.

Whiskey thinks that crocs make great chew toys

Whiskey thinks that crocs make great chew toys

Whiskey peeking out from his blanket

Whiskey peeking out from his blanket

As always, thank you to the puppy owners for taking such fabulous photos and sharing them with us!!

I just talked to my eyes on the sky down in Missouri and he said that with this warm weather there aren’t many teal flying, but this coming weekend is the last one of the season, so it is the only shot we’re going to get on this particular season.  Since we’ll have our Missouri license anyway, I see us heading down there for some other waterfowl seasons this year too since it is only an hour and a half away.  So wish us luck and we’ll keep you posted!!

The last pup home and lots of pupdates!

June 8, 2013

Charity Upchurch Kennel Update, Puppy Update , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Over Memorial Day weekend, Reagan returned home to Colorado at 12 weeks old with Pam and Josh!  Josh is so excited to have a hunting dog of his own and will make a great trainer!

Josh, Reagan and Pam

Josh, Reagan and Pam

We had considered running Sam and BB down in Lincoln in AKC testing that weekend, but it was just too much to try to do that and a homegoing at the same time.  We’re signed up for UT in Sioux Falls in August with the Midwest Tri-State NAVHDA Chapter and I’m pretty sure we’ll just focus on training between now and then.  And of course, just having fun!  Took all the dogs to the pond this week for the first time since last year, but needed to get some grooming time in too!

Sue ready to be groomed while Mae swims with the kids. Sam and BB off running.

Sue ready to be groomed while Mae swims with the kids. Sam and BB off running.

There were plenty of pupdates over the last few weeks!  We heard from 3 year old Gauge out in Wyoming, who is from our “A” litter (Sue/Sam) and is the brother to Whiskey in Nevada who we hear from.  He is doing great in the field and home according to Sean and Amber.  Here’s what Amber shared with me, “We absolutely love him and have fallen in love with the Griff breed for his loving side as well as his commitment to our family. He is an extraordinary dog in the field and works beyond our expectations. We could not be any happier with him, and wanted to share that with you.”  We are so glad to hear from you, thanks Amber, Sean and family!!

3 year old Gauge pointing a pheasant

3 year old Gauge pointing a pheasant

3 year old Gauge in the water

3 year old Gauge in the water

Let’s go backwards by order of age here.  Next up is Chester from our 2012 “C” (Sam/Mae) litter.  I pulled his trainer’s photos off of versatiledogs.com.  Chester is trained by Steve “Hoss” Anker in New York.  Here is what “Hoss” had to say, what a hoot:

 Don’t hold it against me…butt….recently through the A-TEAM kennels, in training, training for NAVHDEEEEEE stuff, we have uncovered an unknown SPECIES of caninus familiarus known as the GRIFF-A-GATOR.A Woolie, droopey eyed, shaggy, hound-like, pointing animal, water oriented, replete with enough hair to clog up a 12 inch drain pipe.Shown here in intense A-TEAM training………INTENSE….

Chester in the water

Chester in the water

Mannnnn….look at those choppers, looks like a hairy bear trap on legs.

FETCH…OUT……Good Boy!

Chester working on fetch

Chester working on fetch

Is that the GRIFF-A-GATOR or is that the LOCH NESS MONSTER?  Not sure…WHAT SAY YOU….You hairy woolie hairball pointing dog types..?

Chester swimming

Chester swimming

Chester got a Prize II with 106 points recently on his NAVHDA Natural Ability test with the Hudson Valley Chapter, but owner Sal and Hoss are bound and determined for Prize I, so they’ll be back at it again soon.  Good luck guys!!

Our “D” litter from 2012 (Sue/Sam) recently had their 1 year old birthday and I got a cute “then and now” card from Rick and family.  Rick said, “Thanks again for introducing her into our lives. She’s a wonderful member of our family, and a great asset in the field. I’m looking forward to this fall, and her first full grown season of eastern Nebraska upland hunting.”  Thank you so much, Rick, Dawn and family for being great owners!!

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Happy 1st Birthday "D" Litter and Dottie!!

Happy 1st Birthday “D” Litter and Dottie!!

Dottie’s sister Abby recently scored a Prize I Natural Ability with 112 points at the Missouri Uplands Chapter of NAVHDA Spring Test.  Keep up the good work over in Illinois, Rob and Abby!!

Jimmy down in Oklahoma did some great video work with 3.5 month old Zoey from this year’s “E” Litter (Sue/Sam) both on water and land, that I put together in a YouTube video:

He also sent over a nice shot of her fetching up a stick out of the water.  What great work, Jimmy, thank you!!  You are doing awesome training!!

Zoey brings in her stick

Zoey brings in her stick

And what hunting dog doesn’t love off-roading?!?

Zoey in the dune buggy

Zoey in the dune buggy

Zoey’s sister GiGi is also having a great life in Maryland.  Marilyn said, “GiGi is progressing. I think a little slowly because my husband babies her. She walked a mile with him on the leash today. As a teacher I know kids don’t learn until they are ready. So it must be for puppies! We love her!”

Ben and GiGi taking a nap together

Ben and GiGi taking a nap together

GiGi on a walk

GiGi on a walk

And Midge in Montana from this year’s “F” litter (Sam/Mae) at 12 weeks old is having fun exploring the headwaters of the Missouri River.  Thanks Louie and Lindsay!!

Midge in the Mighty Mo.

Midge in the Mighty Mo.

Midge watching the kids

Midge watching the kids

Midge’s sister, Fern, is also doing well.  Danny down in Texas said:

Fern is doing great.  She’s a machine.  Never stops or slows down.  Potty training is going pretty well, but she still has some days that it just doesn’t click.  We love her.  She is very very sweet and lovable.  She wants to be by me all the time, until we get outside.  I think my other dog tolerates her.  Fern attacks her and wants to play all the time.  Basically, my old dog will let Fern growl and bite her neck and hold on until she’s had enough, then she just tosses her to the ground and tries to walk off.  But, Fern will never give up!  I’m waiting for Fern to take cues on when to stop.

One can’t help but feel good after going through all of those beautiful pics of pups and hearing all of the stories.  I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am to all of my owners for sharing their lives with us.  Sometimes I get overwhelmed with it all and wonder why the heck I put myself through all of this craziness.  But this is why.  This must continue.  I can take a few months out of my life each year to get to play Santa Claus and spread some joy.  Thanks for the happiness in return.

I’ll be sure to get out training with Charles and Matt over the summer to get some updated photos and talk about that process.  Now that Mae and Sue have dried up their milk thoroughly, it is time for all of us to get in shape for hunting season (me included)!  Thanks for coming along on our journey and I’ll talk at you soon.


			

		

		
		
				

			

				A little too much adventure…
			

			

				August 15, 2012			

			

				
					Charity Upchurch				
				
					Kennel Update, Puppy Update				
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It was our second Sunday in a row for an all-pack walk, so we thought we would mix things up a little and try a different spot than normal.  This area is along the Missouri River, south of Plattsmouth, Nebraska.  Even though the road we were walking on is a good 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile from the Missouri (when it is cooperating with channelization) the area was completely submerged in about a foot or more of water all last summer.  So, even though we are in a drought this year and the vegetation is shorter than normal in most other places, due to the remnant moisture in the soil, the cover was 4-8 feet tall.


All was going well until a mile or so into the hike, when the 3 year old child decided he needed a break.  The road had ended anyhow and Charles and the dogs would have to wade through zero-visibility tall weeds for a half-mile or so to get to the river.  Here is a video of short clips of our hike up until the point of us stopping for a break, including some random shots of sunflowers at the end: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s0jYVoPoeU


About a half hour or so later, Charles turned back up, sounding rather disgusted.  “Is BB with you?” he queried.  She wasn’t.  He hadn’t seen her since before he reached the river.  Given the fact that she ranges farther than the other three dogs and that it was pretty warm (probably 85, not heatwave hot), he thought that she had jumped in the river and gotten sucked downstream in the strong current.  My gut told me otherwise.  I’ve seen BB go for a long time without drinking and she is way more into running than swimming.  She’ll get out in the water if there is something to retrieve or if there are people or other dogs out, but I just couldn’t see her navigating the steep bank of the Missouri into the swiftly moving river.


Standing in the tall vegetation, we called and called and whistled for BB.  I kept the other three dogs and the kids at our spot in the shade, calling and whistling from where we were while Charles headed back down to the river calling for her.  20-30 minutes of calling and searching.  The vegetation was working against us and absorbing our noise.  We ran out of water and since we’d been in the field for over 2 hours and it was another mile hike back to the truck (which takes about 30 minutes with the kids), it was time to move.  We were hoping that maybe BB was back at the truck, but otherwise we’d replenish our water supplies and continue our search.  It was only 3 PM and we had another 6 hours until dark.


Caleb fell behind and wanted to take a break, playing in the dirt on the road next to a soybean field.  As the soybeans are only shin high and it was about a 20 acre field, I thought that this was probably my one chance to have my voice project and echo off of the nearby valley hills to the west.  I spent a good 5 to 10 minutes calling her name to the sky and whistling.  Looking back at Caleb playing in the dirt, I swore I saw a little reddish brown fur pop around the bend of the soybean field.  I ran over and thank God it was BB!  At first she was happy to see me, but then she got really “low dog” with her tail between her legs.  She knew she had been bad, meaning that most likely she got onto and chased a deer.


Every one of our dogs has had the experience as an older pup/younger dog of being overpowered by prey drive and the desire to run, chasing a deer, getting lost for a few hours, but then pulling their wits together and finding the pack.  It scares everyone, but is an important learning experience for the dog to keep checking back with the people.  This is an essential skill to keep Wirehaired Pointing Griffons as foot-hunting dogs and not just another out-of-control field trialing breed.


It felt good to be heading home together with all four Wirehaired Pointing Griffons we arrived with!


On the ride home, I found out that not only did BB have a misadventure, but when Charles came up on the Missouri, Sam piled in and swam about a third of the way out into the main channel, then realizing he needed to get back, tried to swim against the current to make his way back to shore, but was no match to the Mighty Mo.  Sam was sucked around a bend where Charles couldn’t see him.  The frightened owner ran the bank around the bend, calling for the dog.  The echo off of the other bank was confusing the dog, thinking that his boss was on the opposite bank.  Luckily Charles had Conrad’s blaze orange shirt in his hand, so he began waving Sam into the approaching wing dam.  Sam successfully made it to the calm upstream from the wing dam and climbed the rocks out of the churning channel.


That particular area is a bit too wild for all of us.  Maybe Charles with one dog can handle its peril, but the pack will stick to our usual spots.


In other news, I did receive a cute picture of Kyle and Jenna in Illinois, along with their puppy, Gomer, formerly known as “Darryl”.  They will be getting married soon and their pup will be their first baby (as was our first pup together):


Jenna and Kyle in Illinois with their 10 week old Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Gomer, from our recent “D” litter


Susan and Tom in North Dakota sent over another great photo of TracHer on one of her first wild bird points, on sharptail grouse at 5  months old:


TracHer in North Dakota from our “C” litter on point, 5 month old Wirehaired Pointing Griffon


Sixteen more days until opening day of hunting season for us!  I plan on getting some videos made showing my grooming techniques this weekend to post for next week’s check-in, then it will be time to shift gears into the next phase of my writing year.  Thanks for coming along!

			

		

		
		
				

			

				Dog days of summer
			

			

				June 7, 2011			

			

				
					Charity Upchurch				
				
					Bird Dog Training, Kennel Update, Puppy Update				
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I have managed to work daily with “BB” on sit, stay, release (I use “okay” as the release command).  She does great on stay and release, but doesn’t have the “sit” pose down just yet.  So, after the command “sit” I push down on her rear and lift her chin just slightly, to put her in the position that I want.  I then give the “stay” command (you could also use “whoa”) with the stop hand signal.  Right now, I’m backing away facing the dog, so that I can catch her if she moves, but eventually I should be able to walk away with my back turned to her and she shouldn’t move.  Here’s a shot of her enjoying the “doggy pool” on a hot day this week:


BB cools off at 13 weeks


Summer is here and with it comes so many distractions!  All three kids are home, Charles just had a week-long break and the heat and humidity have gone off the charts here!   Another glitch in our training is that the private land that we normally use for water and light field work is underwater from the Missouri River flooding.  It is supposed to crest around June 15th, after a major release of water from Gavin’s Point Dam and they are projecting a record crest.  Our prayers go out to all who are being affected.


Stranded RV on River Road, Plattsmouth, Nebraska


I received a puppy update from Kyle in Nevada, via an e-mail from his father, Stan (who’s as sharp as a tack in his 80’s).  Stan reported that “Shady Lady” is up to 24 pounds and did some great tracking and retrieving practice up in Montana with Kyle.  Stan says it best, here’s the quote from the e-mail, “The other day in Montana she found and retrieved the hidden pheasant wing from 100 feet downwind!  Dropped it at Kyle’s feet!  Sign us ………. “Happy”.  I always appreciate the great updates and photos from my puppy owners; thanks Stan and Kyle!


Shady Lady from our "B" litter at 3 1/2 months